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Statue of Jan Smuts, Parliament Square facts for kids

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Statue of Jan Smuts
Jan Christian Smuts (9177337292).jpg
The statue in 2013
Artist Jacob Epstein
Medium Bronze sculpture
Subject Jan Smuts
Location London, United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°30′03″N 0°07′37″W / 51.50087°N 0.12690°W / 51.50087; -0.12690

A life-size bronze statue of Jan Smuts by the British artist Jacob Epstein stands on the north side of Parliament Square in London, United Kingdom, between a statue of Lord Palmerston and a statue of David Lloyd George.

Description

The statue depicts him in his military uniform as a field marshal, leaning forward with his left leg advanced, as if walking forward. The statue stands on a pedestal of granite from South Africa, which bears the inscription JAN/ CHRISTIAN/ SMUTS/ 1870–1950.

History

After Winston Churchill won the 1951 general election in October 1951, he proposed erecting a statue in Parliament Square as a memorial to Smuts, who had died in September 1950. Churchill retired as prime minister in 1955, and was too ill to perform the unveiling in November 1956; it was unveiled instead by the Speaker of the House of Commons, William Morrison. The statue became a Grade II listed building in 1970.

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